﻿SEA CLIFF COMMUNITY HARVEST HONORS 2013 WRITING CONTEST WINNERS﻿

November 9, 2013 -- During Friday evening’s “Chill Out in Sea Cliff” festivities, local high school students, Marianna Hoitt-Lang and Lexi Bennet were awarded scholarships for their entries into the Sea Cliff Community Harvest’s first ever essay writing contest. Two of the charity’s directors, Frank Scivone and Mayor Bruce Kennedy, were on hand to present the awards to the students. The assignment required the writer to address any topic of social relevance. Mr. Scivone first presented Ms. Bennet with a $250 scholarship for her essay on Bullying. “After reading your piece,” Mr. Scivone said, “not only did I have a much deeper understanding of this important topic, but I was even more convinced that you would someday move on to help the world address such problems.” The first prize, a $750 scholarship, went to Ms. Hoitt-Lang for her essay entitled “The Second Best Bed,” which took on the issue of feeling second best in an adolescent world centered on wealth, physical beauty and achieving popularity through risky social behavior. “Marianna – your piece was so perfectly honest and real,” Mr. Scivone said. “It demonstrated an impressive awareness far beyond your years – and as a father of two teenagers, it both enlightened and terrified me.” After presenting the awards, Mr. Scivone encouraged people in the audience to participate in an auction that was being held at the Village Wine Merchant in support of the 2014 writing contest. Sea Cliff Community Harvest is a 501c3 charity that “was organized for the simple purpose of fortifying the special fabric that bonds the people of this wonderful village,” Mr. Scivone said. The organization has organized meals for families battling cancer, established music programs for orphans, contributed to seniors programs, and has supported other local charitable efforts such as Mutual Concerns.